Migraine Awareness Week (Monday, 22 to Sunday, 28 September)
19 Sep 2025
Get Involved in Raising Awareness in the Workplace
Each year, Migraine Awareness Week (Monday, 22 to Sunday, 28th September) shines a spotlight on a health condition that affects millions across the UK. Migraines are often misunderstood as "just a bad headache," but for those who live with them, they can be highly debilitating and have a significant impact on both personal and professional life.
Get Involved
Expression of Interest for a ‘Migraine Peer Support Group’
The Colleague Wellbeing and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Teams are advertising an expression of interest for a ‘Migraine Peer Support Group’, bringing people together who experience Migraines via a Microsoft Teams space to share their experiences, ask questions and offer helpful peer-peer advice. If you would like to express interest in this group, please email wellbeing@manchester.ac.uk
Available to listen from 22nd September: Let's Talk Disability Podcast – Beyond Visibility: Embedding Disability Inclusion in Cultural Spaces
In this powerful episode of Let's Talk Disability, Professor Jackie Carter welcomes two inspiring guests from the University of Manchester’s cultural institutions: Rosie, a Visitor Team Assistant at the Whitworth Art Gallery, and Ciaron Wilkinson, Head of External Relations at Manchester Museum.
Together, they explore the lived experiences of disability and chronic health conditions, focusing on Rosie’s journey with chronic migraines and her advocacy for access and inclusion. Ciaron shares insights from a leadership perspective, reflecting on how cultural institutions can embed disability inclusion into their practices—not as an afterthought, but as a foundational principle.
Tuesday 23rd September 13:00 – 14:00: Managing Your Migraine within the workplace: online event hosted by The Migraine Trust
The Migraine Trust invite all colleagues to join this opportunity to ask their panel of professionals about employment and migraine. They have a diverse group of people with different experiences of migraine and expertise in the workplace who will share their stories and answer your questions.
Understanding Migraines
A migraine is a complex neurological condition that can cause severe head pain, nausea, sensitivity to light and sound, and visual disturbances known as “aura.” The Migraine Trust advise around one in seven people in the UK experience migraines, making it a common health conditions. Despite this, many still feel stigma or lack of understanding in the workplace.
Migraines can last from a few hours to several days, and triggers vary from person to person. Common triggers include stress, dehydration, hormonal changes, certain foods, and even changes in weather. Because of this variability, supporting colleagues with migraines requires both awareness and flexibility.
Managing a Migraine at Work
The Migraine Trust have detailed webpages to support colleagues who experience migraines in the workplace. These resources include:
- Tips for preventing migraine attacks at work
- Managing Migraine at Work Toolkit
- Managing Your Migraine at Work Checklist – designed to help guide conversations between managers and colleagues when discussing migraines at work.
Support
- Contact your GP to discuss support and treatments for Migraine.
- The Migraine Trust free helpline 0808 802 0066 is open 10am–4pm, Monday to Friday, there is also options to email and live chat.